Spanner or wrench



A. W. BLAIR.

SPANNER 0R WRENCH.

APPLICATION HLED nc.a. 1919.

1,359,660. Patefited Nov. 23, 1920;

unirsn STATES rarest orlucs.

ARCI-IIBALD WILLIAM BLAIR, 0F WELLINGTON,'NEW ZEALANJI SPANNER ORWRENCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented N 0v. 23, 1920.

Application filed December 3, 1919. Serial No. 342,210.

and I do hereby declare the following to i be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same.

This invention relates to shifting or ad justable spanners or wrenchesand it has been devised with the object of providing a construction bymeans of which the spanner is made automatically adjustable to any ofthe sizes within its range and by which also a ratchet action isobtainable in the use of the spanner, that is, to say, the spanner willslip idly aroundthe nut when moved backward from its work and will looktherewith when moved up to its work.

The invention consists broadly in the construction of the spanner with ahead pivotally attached to a handle so that they may move in relation toone another in the plane of the head, and with such head formed with afixed block shaped to engage either one or two sides of a nut and havinga pair of jaws mounted therein, one on each side of such fined block andwhich jaws are so shaped as to ex end outward on each side of the blockand so mounted and controlled that the turning movement of the handlerelatively to the head in one direction will move such jaws out from theblock while the reverse movement will move them in to engage the saidblock. These jaws are adapted to engage the two opposite sides of thenut respectively adjacent to the side or sides engaged by the fixedblock, and thus to hold the nut between them.

A spring controls the moving parts of the spanner so as to turn thehandle 1H a plane approximately straight with the head and to draw thejaws inward against the block so as to form the minimum size. The jawsopen against the action of this spring and thereby allow of the spannerbeing forced sidewise onto a nut and for the jaws accommodatingthemselves to close in. onto such. nut and the faces thereof.

The invention will however, be more fully described in relation to theaccompanying sheet of drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation ofthe spanner.

F 1g. 2 is a side elevation thereof with one, of the cover plates of thehead removed.

Fig. 8 is a back edge elevation thereof, and

Fig. 4 a detail view showing the relative arrangement of the two aws.

In the construction shown, a spanner specially adaptable for use uponhexagonal nuts is shown, but such spanner is however capable of use uponsquare nutsof a size within its range, although if desired, theprinciple of construction embodied may he read- 11y adapted to renderthespanner specially applicable for use on square nuts. In this descriptionof the invention therefore, the construction applicable to hexagonalnuts is particularly set out. i

According hereto, the spanner handle A is pivoted at a. between a pairofcover plates B forming the head and secured together with suitablypositioned distance blocks B between them, by approved means such as thescrew pins 6. T he handle and head are thus capable of swinging inrelation to one another in a plane corresponding to the movements of thespanner, but a helical spring C interposed between a bell crank leverextension D of the handle and the bot tom of one of the blocks B servesto keep the two in a normal condition such that they turn outward fromone another to assume approximately a continuous plane.

' E is a block fixed between the cover plates B at the top of the head.The upper edge of this block is shaped. as shown in Fig. 2, to form twofaces inclining inward from both side edges at such an angle as to forman angle of 120 where they join. and thus adapt the block to fit ontoone corner of a hexagonal nut and for its faces to engage the faces ofthe nut adjacent to such corner. The cover plates?) also have theirupper ed ges shaped to coincide wi h the block. .The block sides aremade parallel for a distance and then converge inward to the center lineso as to form faces on the underside extending outward and upward anangle of to one another. T he blocks B are arranged one on each side ofthe central block E and each one of these is formed with an angularinner face extending upward and outward in a lineparallel with theundersurface of the block E on the corresponding side. An angular spaceis thus formed between the central bloc: and the block B on each sideand inclosed between the cover plates B, and this space forms a guide toreceive one of the jaws of the implement.

These jaws F and G are made t'o-fit neatly in between the cover platesBand each is shaped so that its inner portion lies within one of thespaces between the central block E and the. block B on one side, whileits outer end projects upward'at an angle each other and projectingoutward from the when the jaws .F and opposite sides of. the block Eachface there "ore forms with the adjacent angular face of the hlocktop, anangle of120so that the two jaws will lie neatly against the respectivefaces of the nut engaged by the block [The arrangement of the-guidesformed by the block E and the. blocks B at a diverging angle of 60- thusprovides that are moved along such guide, the outer portions or ends ofthe jaws will maintainthe same relative l l f tl b 1*F dt ang es to theaces 01 e loci J ant 0 one another, while they wlll be moved fartherapart,thus.adapt1ng thenito fit on diflerent slzestof nuts. Their nwardmove- (ment isrestricted by their engagement'with the side faces of theblock E as shown in the draw1ng,and in this position the spanner. 1s atits minimum size. The maximum size is governedby the length of the jaws.connected to the bell crank lever extension D of the-handlebyaneansofxthe two links one-oi which is pivoted to one of the jaws andthe other .to the other jaw, while both have their lower ends pivoted inthe end of the extension D. Consequently the turnir movement of thehandle on its y.pivot a will, as it is turned in againstthe spring C,forcethe jaws upward rand out ward, whlle the outward turning. thereofwill draw the aws downward and inward.

The handle in its normalstate :is adjusted to draw the jaws hack tothe-minimum position tain a fresh grip and the action of the spring onthe release of the handle causes the jaws to'close in onto the nut facesready for a further working strain, Inthis way the spanner isratchetacting.

The end of the jaw G when pressed onto a nut sidewise will open out bothjaws against the action of the spring so that the spanner willautomatically adjust itself to the required size.

The construction ofthe jaws in this manner will allow for eitherhexagonal or square nuts being gripped within them and upon the top ofthe block E, in the case of a hexagonal nut, the nut thus being en gagedon four of its faces, and in the case of a square nut, on three of itsfaces. If desired, the outer end'of one jaw may be formed with theinward extension Gr having its inside face at an angle of 120 to theinside face of the jaw so vas to permit ofa hexagonal nut being engagedon five of its faces.

guides for the jaws will be at different angles to that used in theillustration.

The implement may also be adapted for use as a pipe wrench by formingthe jaws with gripping teeth on their inner faces.

I claim 1. Inspanners or wrenches a head and handle pivotally connectedto turn one upon the other in the plane of thehead. such head beingformed with a centrallyfixed block' and having a pair of jaws mountedtherein, 7

one on each sidevjof said block and each shaped to project outwardlybeyond the outer face of the block, connections between the handle andthe jaws-whereby: the relative movementof the handleto the head, in

one direction,-will move the jaws away from the respectivesides of thefined bloc lnand the movement of the handle in the other dimotion, willdraw the aws in to the-block, and a spring normally. turning thehandlein the latter direction, substantially for the purposes specified. 7

2. In spanners or wrenches, a head formed with afixedcentralblock,guidesfermed one i on each side of such block and diverging outwardlyfrom one another, a pair of jaws fitted one in each of said guides andshaped so that their outer ends project outwardly beyond the outer faceof the fixed block, a handle pivoted to the head so as to be capable ofturning in the plane of the head, connections between the handle and thesaid jaws whereby the turning movement in one direction will force thejaws outward in their respective guides and movement in the reversedirection will draw them inward therein and a spring normally turningthe handle in the latterdirection, substantially for the purposesspecified.

3. In spanners or wrenches, a head. formed with a fixed central block,guides formed one on each side of said block and diverging outwardlyfrom one another, a pair of jaws fitted one in each of said guides andshaped so that their outer ends project outward beyond the outer face ofthe fixed block, a

handle pivoted to the head so as to be capable of turning in the planeof the head, a bell crank lever extension upon such handle, linksextending between the end of such extension and the respective jaws, anda compression spring bearing betwen the head and said are tension andnormally pressing the handle piutward on its pivot, substantially asspecied.

4. In spanners or wrenches, the combination with a head comprising afixed central block and a pair of jaws mounted in said block one on eachside thereof and projecting out beyond its surface, of a handle pivotedin the head to turn in the plane of the head. and connections betweenthe jaws and said handle whereby turning movement in one direction movesthe jaws outwardly from the block and turning movement in the otherdirection draws them downward and inward on to the block, substantiallyas specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

ARCHIBALD WILLIAM BLAIR.

Witnesses:

G. G. Greens WATSON, G. O. COOPER.

